How can we stop soil erosion?
Answer:
Soil erosion can be stopped in so many ways. Depending on the environment one of these methods can be used or all the methods can be used in combination
1)Plant more trees.
2) Avoid deforestation
3) Avoid soil, air pollutants in destruction of plant habitat
4) Use Mulch
5) Avoid felling of trees(especially done in Madagascar, the story and scene is heart breaking to see a country with 90 % undiscovered fauna loosing its forest at very fast rate). http://www.wildmadagascar.org/conservati... http://web.conservation.org/xp/frontline... Pictures are worth thousand words.
6) Stop using products in your daily life which will encourage erosion. Use recycled paper, instead of regular paper.
7)Avoid overgrazing by farm animals
8) Encourage Soil coverage to protect soil erosion by winds http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/...
9) Preserve temperate evergreen forests.
With great difficulty and economic expense.
It's nature's way of saying "I'm still in charge and there ain't a damn thing you can do about it".
Plant trees.
Plant more tress and step cutting on the slopes..like step farming on the mountains..
Cover it with cement and/or asphalt.
Please specify the application.
The surrounding environment and the cause of the erosion are substantial factors.
Planting grasses is always an easy, quick, and inexpensive cure where it can be applied. The root system of grasses is very good for erosion control.
Plowing fields breaks up root systems so if you want to prevent erosion in plowed fields, contour plowing is the solution.
Where rain is scarce and grass won't grow, barrier fences like snow fences can help prevent wind erosion.
Trees , where they will grow, don't create a dense root system, but break up wind and have the extra benefit of removing carbon from the atmosphere.
The only one that's true, unfortunately is covering it with asphalt. Soil erosion is going to take place, and faster than the earth produces new soil to replace it.
There are a lot of methods that slow soil erosion. One is planting trees and windbreaks. Tree roots lock soil down, and their branches block wind so they do both.
Another is to turn and mix the soil with less surface disruption. They actually have something that does basically what a rotatiller does, only under the top layer of soil so that not as much dust (soil) is sent into the air.
Anything that releases dirt to the wind is soil erosion, any dirt that clings to any plant or vegetable and is removed in a processing factory is soil erosion too.
PERMACULTURE ANSWER
soil erosion is almost always as a result of human intervention.
Because of loss of agricultural lands because of desertification caused by overgrazing and bad agricultural practises .(like the use of fertilisers,and the depletion of subteranian water.)the farmers are forced to farm unstable lands on the slopes.
WIND AND WATER EROSION
If the trees are no longer there, whose roots bound the soil together ,and because their canapies of foilidge no longer exist the rain now has easy acces to the unprotected ,now dry surface and the rain waters wash away the top soils ,------this is water erosian
Trees are cut down and these trees existed to provide a cover against the rays of the sun which now dries out the soil ,and the wind can than easily blow away the dust that is formed ,------this is wind erosian
Farmers plow large plots of land to plant maize or wheat or what ever and as happened in the 20s in the USA,they plowed in straight lines.when the winds came they blew along the straight lines and picking up speed removed millions of tons of top soil(wind erosian) turning vast teritories into dessert deprived of arable soil
Today the farmers plow in circles and curves to prevent this building up of speed by the wind,
Vast sections of land are exposed to the sun which kills the micro biotic life ,that builds the black and rich top soil and tons of water is evaporated by the sun.,and the organic soil building machine is destroyed
A far better way is a very old concept now newly applied called --no till farming.
after the inicial shaping of the land the tractor is no longer used .or another type of plow head is used which does not break and turn the soil over,but merely makes a deep cut in to which the new plants are planted or sown.
or the seeds are just stuck in an unbroken surface ,which is covered------- by mulch
mulch is a layer of organic material which prevents the soil from drying out by blocking the sun and maintaining its moisture
because the soil is now soft and moist the earthworms devellop and there is no better manure on this earth than that from earth worms,who also airate the soil with their bodely movements sucking in the air .
the mulch also is a cover which protect the soil from the impact of heavy rains which brings the salt to the surface which makes the soil poorer.
the mulch also is the food and conditions for a vast variety of micro biotic life that produces top soil
LANDSLIDES
in Mexico in the mountains the increasing
populations of indigenous peoples are cutting down trees to plant corn ,this land is productive for a few years before it becomes poor and useless for farming.
the roots of the trees that have been cut down rot and tunnels are created with their disapearence ,with heavy rains these tunnels fill up with water and the soil lift and moves down wards .
mudslides are caused and large parts of the mountains are exposed to the rock.
the mud destroys the lands beneath and the exposed areas NEVER recover leaving the area with out vegetation forever
RECOVERY
to recover eroded soil is a lenthy process
We can plant living barriers or hardy fast growing trees or bushes on the edges of contours(on the slopes) ,to hold the soil and to create bariers to stop further movements on the surface and trap any organic matter that ends up there,
Also some trees can be cut and left horizontally to create a fast barrier to trap all organics moving down wards ,and planting in the build up in front of the trees is much easier
Adding mulch(chopped organic matter and plant leafy plants to be chopped down for this purpose,.is a great help to hold moisture and prevent further drying out and will assist the new growth ,
Hardy grasses should be planted on the tracks of the groundflow ,and all these water flows should be stopped with ditches that intercept the run offs and redirect them to parts that are less steep to lead into the canyons or rivers or existing permanent water flows riolets etc.
With land that is intended for agriculture on the slopes terrazes are the best way ,such as the Inca terrazed gardens ,which are still productive after 1000 years
,A lot of inicial work is done on the original shaping of the land with rock walls ,slightly concave terrazes.cannals that control all exess waterflows.and they used organics to mulch
there are various plants that are exelent for this purpose,like a bean called nescafee which is a monster in normal circumstanses ,it covers an enormous area ,grows very fast creates tons of leaves ,when fully grown it dies leaving a thick cover of rotting organic material behind. one has to kill any new shoots coming of the beans because this plant will bring down trees with its foiledge,but it is a great pioneer for inicial mulching in wild teritories.
weeds should be left to grow and chopped down before they turn to seed and left where they fall,
on edges of plots plant broad leafed plant to be used for mulch as you go on.
CONCLUSION
to stop erosion intercept and redirect all water flows until they are under control .
created barriers to build up new soil
and plant grasses on eroded flow areas.
and mulch to prevent the sun drying out the topsoil and the wind or rain then removing it
Ideally, soil erosion control begins with soil erosion prevention, and certain plants are excellent at soil erosion prevention. But when it's too late for soil erosion prevention, you simply have to fix a problem that already exists. Building retaining walls addresses both kinds of soil erosion control issues -- both preventing it and fixing an existing problem.
Using Mulch to Prevent Erosion
Applying mulch to an area can greatly enhance erosion control. With a healthy layer of mulch, you're much less likely to lose precious topsoil to a downpour. Find out which mulch is best for your own particular erosion control needs.
How to Build Stone Retaining Walls
If you have a slight slope you'd like to tame, building a mortar-less stone retaining wall might be the answer for you. Building such retaining walls is an excellent project for the do-it-yourselfer, are visually appealing and complement rock gardens beautifully.
Building Dry Creek Beds on Hillsides for Soil Erosion Control
Need soil erosion control on a hillside? If so, consider installing a dry creek bed. This tutorial tells you how, step by step. And dry creek beds look so good, some people install them even if they do not have to worry about soil erosion control!
Sumac Shrubs for Fall Foliage and Soil Erosion Prevention
Sumac shrub is an excellent choice to plant on a hill, where soil erosion control is an issue. The potential for fall colors of sumac's autumn leaves is also vastly underrated by landscapers. With its gold, red and maroon fall colors, and with the ease of maintenance characteristic of native trees and shrubs, fast-growing sumac is a boon to your landscaping.
Plant Juniper Groundcover to Prevent Soil Erosion
Blue Rug juniper plants and their relatives are sturdy groundcovers for sunny slopes. Using juniper groundcovers prevents soil erosion and weeds, and also eliminates your having to mow steep slopes.
Soil erosion can be slowed or stopped by planting groundcover on the incline. The roots of the plants (or trees, or bushes) will hold the soil in place during rain events.
Plant some grass & trees. That simple.
by planting more trees. by stop using artificial manure. stop throwing of non bio-degradable things.
stop deforestation
soil erosion means carrying away of soil by water and wind mostly we can build dams and form teraces on mountains so speed of water is reduced we can build embankments and high walls so wind do not carry away plant trees
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